People Of the Innocence Saga Book 1: The Only One(Yu Kanda Love Story)
by day-dreamer 12900
Summary: The Exorcists meet the third side of the "Holy" War. A certain specific three exorcists have met three mysterious girls, and after "kidnapping" the oldest of the three, the Black Order gets more than they bargained for. Can Elizabeth Amoury handle the craziness of the Black Order? Can she deal with the cold yet beautiful samari? Or will she fall in love? And would he feel the same?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_There are some things in this world that not everybody knows exists. For one thing, the Noah Clan, Akuma, and Exorcists. But there is one thing in this world that not even these groups are aware of. The Innocentia Tribe has been around for as long as the Noah. The Tribe considers itself as an experiment on man gone wrong. They have super human strength, speed, and agility. Along with that comes a unique ability that each person has, so no two of the species are alike in that way. This is all possible because of Innocence. Whenever a Noah destroys a piece of Innocence, it's not lost, God takes some of this crushed Innocence and places a pinch in the souls of this species. Thus, the Purustans are born with super human abilities, and like normal Innocence, their Innocence can evolve, making them more powerful. They are like equals to the Noah, except they aren't born from Dark Matter. This species tries to hide itself from both the Exorcists and the Noah Clan. They live in the ruins of Atlantis. No, they can't breath underwater. It is a hidden city underwater with oxygen and lots of resources given to them by God to survive. They are a pretty unified society, and they are all taught to use their abilities. For the most part, the Purustans are neutral in this "Holy" war, but there are the exceptions, for the Purustans are allowed to live in the human world if they please. Nobody has left their hidden land until they were attack by a group of Akuma (a good 50 years before the regular D Gray Man time line). Now, Atlantis is just a base where the species grows up and then a couple of people soon leave. It's time for the human race to meet their evolved brethren…_

Chapter 1: Separated

(Elizabeth's P.O.V.)

_London, England_

The air was slightly chilly as nightfall came. London was such, a busy city, so we should be able to find a place to sleep before it gets too late. I walked through the crowded streets with my two younger sisters, Angela and Coraline. We were soon able to find an inn close to the train station. We would be leaving for France in the morning. That's where we hoped to find our younger and older brothers, Dylan, Jay, and Curt.

"Can we have a room?" I asked the old woman at the counter as I handed her the money.

"I'm sorry dear, you don't have enough," she said as she pushed it back to me.

"Is there any way I can work tonight," I offered, "We only need to stay for the night."

She nodded as she gave me a room key. "Room 2B. You can come down to the kitchen in 15 minutes to start preparing dinner for the guests."

I nodded over at Angela and Coraline and we went up the stairs to the second floor. We walked into the room and put our suitcases down.

"You don't have to work alone," Caroline said, "We could help you, you know."

"I know," I said, "But it's only one night."

"Come on, Caroline," Angela said, "Enjoy the night off. It's not often we're given the opportunity."

"I wouldn't suggest falling asleep so quickly," I said, "This is a crowded town, the Millennium Earl is bound to us London to make more Akuma. Us being here is basically giving Akuma a reason to come here and cause chaos."

"Stop raining on our parade, Elizabeth," Angela said, "Besides, don't you have a job to do?"

I rolled my eyes at her as I took off my trench coat. Under it I was wearing a white dress that came up just above my knees. It had long sleeves and had strings that tied in the front. I wore black leggings underneath the dress and black leather boots that came up to my knees. I put my wavy, dark brown hair in a messy bun to keep it out of my way.

I walked down to the kitchen and heard thunder coming from outside. It seems like I'm not the one who's raining on Angela's parade. I walked into the kitchen to find the same elderly woman who was working in the front of the inn.

"People will come up to order through this window," she said, "And you will make the food and bring it to their table when it's ready. If I were you, I'd ask one of the girls that were with you to come and help you."

I did just that. I dragged Angela and Coraline down to the kitchen to help me. Coraline didn't mind, but Angela wasn't as quiet about how much she hated this. She was a really great cook, but she rather stay in her bedroom and sleep.

It wasn't long before people started coming in due the rain. Some people came to the dining area right away to eat and then get some rest. Others went straight to their bedrooms. Angela and Coraline worked in the kitchen while I served the food.

As the last couple left, the rain started to beat harder against the windows. Fortunately, it was too late for anybody to be out.

"Is there any room here?" I heard a deep monotone voice ask.

"Lucky for you, yes, how many rooms?" the old woman asked.

"Three," he said, "Is the dining area still open."

"They were just about to close, but you can still go get food if you want," the old woman replied. Well, there goes our permanent break.

I walked into the kitchen to find Angela face planted on the counter, and Coraline trying to keep her eyes open.

"Why don't you guys go get some sleep," I said, "There's a small group of people coming to eat, but I can take care of it." They nodded and didn't object to the idea. The girls sluggishly walked back to our bedroom.

I walked into the dining area to find three guys. The youngest of the three had white hair and gray eyes. He had a strange scar over his left eye. Next came a tall, optimistic looking red head with green eyes and an eye patch. But the one that caught my attention the most was the one with really long, dark blue (black) hair. He had dark, narrow yet beautiful eyes and what seemed to be a permanent scowl. He was overall beautiful. He'd be more beautiful if he smiled, though.

"Is there anything you'd like?" I asked as I approached the strange group of young men.

"I don't suppose you have soba noodles here," the long haired guy said.

"We don't have any prepared right now, but I think we have the ingredients to make," I said.

"I'll take anything, I don't care," the red head said.

"Well, if you're willing to make anything, I'll have…" the white haired boy started, "potatoes, Groton fries, and rice peel off…mapo tofu, beef stew, meat pies, and fired rice…oh, fried chicken, a salad, some scones, Korean barbeque, white rice-"

"I think I'd just be easier for you to point to everything you want me to cook you in the kitchen because I'm not going to remember all that," I said jokingly. Though, I was kind of being serious.

"Sorry," he said with a laugh, "What's your name?"

"Elizabeth," I said.

"Nice to meet you," he said, "I'm Allen, this is Lavi, and the grumpy looking one is Kanda."

"Nice to meet you guys," I said. I walked into the kitchen and cooked what they ordered, that is except for Allen. After bring Lavi and Kanda their food, I asked Allen to tell me what he wanted and I brought it to him three at a time.

I sat with them as they ate. At that point, Allen wasn't asking for any more food.

"What are you guys doing in London?" I asked.

"The rain forced us to stop," Lavi said, "We're heading somewhere else." My guess, the Black Order because they showed no effort in trying to hide their coats.

"That's the case for everybody here," I said.

"So Elizabeth, have you lived here long?" Allen asked.

"No," I said, "I'm just passing through the city with my sisters. What about you Allen?"

At that question, Allen nearly joked on his food. "W-what ever c-could you m-mean?" he stuttered.

"I was just assuming, since you're name is supper English, that you once lived here in England," I said.

"Oh…um that's complicated," he said as his face turned slightly pink. He was probably embarrassed from overreacting for no reason. Now to give them a reason to stay here a while.

"I hope those demons that everybody's been talking about don't attack the town while we're still here," I said casually.

"Demons?" Kanda said finally speaking.

"I heard some people in town today saying there were demons going around London shooting at anything that seems to be alive," I said. The boys gave each other a look. I wasn't lying, the people have been whispering about these "demons", which I know are Akuma.

"Thanks for the meal," Allen said as he piled all his empty plates.

"You're welcome," I said. I started taking the plates into the kitchen and left them in the sink. I didn't bother washing them, I was too tired. I walked up to our room to find Angela and Caroline asleep in their beds. Conveniently, this room had three beds. I went into the washroom and took a shower. I slipped into similar clothes seeing it's the only type of clothes I can afford. I crawled into bed and let the rain put me to sleep.

I heard numerous gunshots and screams coming from not far in the distance. Akuma. I looked outside and noticed it stopped raining but it was still night time. Morning would come in only a few hours and so would the first train.

"Caroline," I said as I shook my sister, "Angela," I called out to the other one that was knocked out, "Wake up, we have some Akuma to take care of."

They got up and we grabbed our suitcases. They left through the window as I went down the steps. I left the room key on the front desk and ran out the door. This isn't something we couldn't handle.

I made it to the chaos in time to see Angela throw fire balls at the Akuma. Caroline was blocking their bullets and protecting Angela and herself with her shield ability. I felt my energy threads tie around my fingers and I extended the metal-like strings. I then slashed and sliced through all the Akuma that came my way.

"Innocence Activate," I heard a voice behind us call. I turned around to find the Exorcists. Allen used his arm to slice through Akuma. Kanda used his Mugen. Lavi pulled out a hammer that he was able to change the sizes of.

Once the Akuma were all defeated, I didn't give them any time to ask questions. I took off with Angela and Caroline following right behind me. We zig-zagged through the city until we made it to a dead end. I heard foot steps and knew they were not that far.

I took Caroline and threw her over the building. "Take care of each other," I said.

"What are you doing?!" Angela asked.

"I'll meet you in France," I said as I gave her a boost over the building. I turned around and saw Lavi, Allen, and Kanda.

"Elizabeth," Allen started, "We don't want to hurt you, we just want to ask you a couple of questions…"

"And then I'm sure you guys will take me to the Order where they will do God knows what to me," I said. I then ran passed them as fast as I could and took down the street. Suddenly I felt something grab me around the arms and waist. I looked down to find myself trapped in Allen's gigantic hand. I struggled and tried to get out but Allen's grip only tightened.

"We won't take you to the Black Order unless you want to," Allen said, "Trust us."

I didn't say anything, but when I stopped struggling, it gave them the hint that I was listening.

"We know the only way to kill Akuma is with Innocence," Kanda said, "How did you get yours?"

"I didn't _get_ my Innocence," I said, "I was born with it. It was put in my soul just like the other people of my kind."

"And your kind is?" Lavi asked.

"An evolved version of humans," I said, "We are born with Innocence in our souls giving us special inhuman abilities."

Allen's grip loosened slightly. "So that explains why you and your traveling companions were able to defeat the Akuma," he said, "But why did you run away?"

"My kind is well aware of the war between the Exorcists and the Millennium Earl," I said, "They don't care if we get involved or not because the majority of our people are neutral, that includes me and my sisters. The last thing I want is to get involved-"

"But by fighting Akuma you _are_ getting yourselves involved," Kanda said.

"Consider it a gift," I said as I sent him a glare, "And it's not our fault. Because the Innocence is in our souls, they are amplified and it makes it easier for Akuma to find us. They think our Innocence is in a weapon or something and they attack us. Now Allen, can you let me go."

"Only if you agree to come with us to the Order," Allen said.

"What?! Why?" I shouted.

"I think we can all agree that you would be a valuable asset to the Exorcists," Lavi said.

"But I didn't agree to this-" I started but Kanda cut me off.

"Don't say you don't want to get involved because like it or not you and your sisters are," he said.

I sighed in frustration. "Fine, I'll go with you to the Order and I'll give it a try, but if I don't like it there, I'm leaving," I said.

"Agreed," Allen said. I felt his grip begin to loosen.

"Wait, short stack," Kanda said. He pulled out some rope from I-don't-know-where. He tied my wrists together and formed something like a leech to pull me. Allen then let go of me.

"We don't want you escaping," Kanda said. He then tugged me and led me through the streets of the London. How did I end up falling in love with this man?

**End of Chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed my Yu Kanda love story so far.**

**Cheers!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Accepted

(Elizabeth's P.O.V.)

_The Black Order_

We've been walking for three days and according to Allen, we made it to the Black Order. Kanda then untied my hands. I took the opportunity to loosen my hands that have been bound together for the past three days. I also closed my eyes and stretched my slightly stiff arms a little. Might as well get ready to run.

I suddenly felt something wrapping around my waist. I opened my eyes to see Kanda wrapping the rope around my waist tightly and tying a knot.

"Don't think I was just going to let you loose because we're close to the Order," he said. He then tied the other end of the rope around his waist. I then looked up to find a steep cliff. Oh, that's why.

Lavi and Allen were already ahead of you. Kanda then dragged me over and forced me to climb up the cliff. It wasn't hard for me or anything, I just didn't want to go to the Order.

Kanda then stopped and shot me a glare. "Stop procrastinating and hurry up," he growled.

"Why should I?" I said, "I don't even want to be here."

"You're not the only one," he said. He then started climbing slightly faster. I huffed as I easily caught up. I guess not all the Exorcists wanted to join the Black Order, but they had no choice, like me. I the got serious and started climbing up the cliff like I normally would, which put me far ahead of Kanda. I had to pause every so often to make sure I wasn't dragging him up the side of the cliff.

When we got to the top, Kanda shot me a glare, which I returned. I sighed as I untied the rope from around my waist and handed it to Kanda.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to run," I said. When we made it to the door, a giant face showed up and started "inspecting me".

"Ahhhh!" it yelled.

"What is it?!" Allen asked completely frazzled.

"Her Innocence power is so strong! There's no way that she's a normal accommodator," it yelled, "She _must_ be a Noah in disguise!"

"My Innocence strength _is_ different for that of a regular exorcist, but I'm no Noah," I said, "If I was, I would have killed Kanda, Lavi, and Allen on the spot."

The doors then opened and a girl, slightly younger than me with greenish, black long hair, came out.

"Sorry about him," she said, "Please come in, you guys."

We walked in and both Allen and the girl led me down the hallway away from Kanda and Lavi. "Hi, my name is Lenalee Lee," she said, "And you are?"

"I'm Elizabeth Amory," I said.

"Nice to meet you," she said, "Mind if I ask you a few questions?" She held a clipboard and a pencil ready to take down notes.

"Um…" I said. Should I trust her? What could she possibly want to ask me?

"If you don't want to answer the question, you don't have to until you're ready," she said reassuringly. I nodded. "Okay, how old are you?"

"18," I replied. She wrote down the information on the clipboard.

"What type of Innocence do you posses? Parasite, Crystal, or Equip?" She asked.

"Neither," I said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"My form of Innocence is does not have physical state," I said. We then made it to an office that was flooded with papers. There was a man that looked similar to Lenalee sitting at the desk going through the papers that were on the desk.

"Chief Komui?" Allen asked.

"Ah, is this a new Exorcist is see?" he said as he threw the papers behind him. He came up to me and inspected me. "So, what type of Innocence do you have?"

"She doesn't have any type," Lenalee said.

"Then what is she doing here?" Komui asked.

"She does have Innocence, but not that's in a physical form," Allen said.

"So are you a parasite or something?" Komui asked.

"No," I replied, "Even a parasite type has Innocence that's in its physical form. Allen has Innocence that's in its physical form; it's just in his body. Mine isn't physically part of my body, or the flesh layer of a human being. It's in my soul like every other person of my kind."

Komui was silent. He seemed to be deep in thought. "We never knew this form of Innocence could exist," he said, "But there's only one way to find out the truth."

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the office. Lenalee and Allen followed closely behind. He led me onto an elevator and we went down.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To see Havlaska," Allen said. I then saw a Parasite type accommodator appear in front of us.

"Havlaska, this is Elizabeth," Komui said, "According to certain Exorcists, she posses a certain form of Innocence, but we're not really sure."

I then felt something like tentacles wrap around me and go into my body. It didn't hurt, but it felt uncomfortable.

"It seems like she is 100% synchronized with her Innocence," she said, "But there is something about it that seems interesting…familiar, almost."

"How so?" Komui asked.

"I recognize this Innocence belonged to an Exorcist that died about 18 years ago at the hands of a Noah," she said, "I was positive that the Noah destroyed it."

"Obviously not then," Komui said, "She must be a parasite type then."

"No," Hevlaska said, "I can't feel the physical Innocence. I can sense its dim presence."

"Of course it's dim," I struggled to get out, "For every piece of Innocence that is destroyed, a hundred babies are born with a tiny piece of that one piece of Innocence. Amazingly, 1/100 of a piece of Innocence can give a human so much power, plus it allows us to use 25% of our brain capacity instead of just 10%."

"What she says seems like the only explanation why this is possible," Hevlaska said.

"It's the truth," I said, "And can you please let go of me."

Hevlaska gently placed me onto the platform. Komui then brought us up to ground level.

"Well now that that's out of the way," Lenalee said, "I'll show you to your room."

We walked through the many hallways of the Order until we made stopped at a room that looked identical to all the others.

"This is your room and my room is right next door in case you need anything," she said, "And Kanda's room is down the hall. I'm just letting you know so you don't accidently walk in. He doesn't like it when people go into his room."

I nodded at her warning. I opened the door to find a cozy looking room. The walls were white and the bed, which was against the wall, had white sheets and a sapphire blue quilt. The room was simple with a nightstand beside the bed, a set a drawers, and two bookshelves above the bed. I saw two doors in the room, probably leading to a bathroom and a closet.

"Lenalee," I said, "Can I borrow some clothes, I just need some for the time being, and then I'll give them back to you."

"Sure," she said, "In fact, if either of us don't have a mission for the rest of the day, we can go shopping. I'll leave the clothes on the bed for you."

I nodded. I walked into my bathroom. I scrubbed all the dirt collected from the trip off my skin. Being a prisoner isn't exactly the most sanitized things in the world. I washed my dark brown hair supper well. When I came out of the shower, I brushed my teeth with the tooth brushed left for me here.

I dried my hair with a towel and left it its natural wavy self. I walked into the room to find a small pile of clothing. Thank god Lenalee brought me undergarments. I totally forgot to mention that. I slipped into them and into the clothes she brought me. I was wearing a short black skirt that came up to my mid thighs. Underneath I wore black fishnet tights. I wore a white short sleeve dress shirt that I left the first two buttons unbuttoned, and I had black leather boots that came up above my knees.

I walked out of my room to find Allen, Lavi, and Lenalee waiting for me. As soon as Allen and Lavi saw me, they both turned bright red.

"Wow," Lavi said, "You look so pretty as a girl, Elizabeth."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked with a slight scowl.

"It m-means, y-you look n-nice," Allen stuttered as his faced turned darker shades of red.

"Aww, thank you, Allen," I said teasingly.

If it were even possible, it seemed that Allen's face turned even redder. I just giggled. I then felt eyes staring at my exposed legs and thighs and my curvy waist.

"Stop looking at me, Lavi," I screeched at him.

"Sorry, but that's going to be hard to do," he said not taking his eyes off me, "even for an Exorcist." That's not true for _all_ Exorcist men.

"What's all the noise about?" Kanda said as he walked into the hall. He suddenly stopped when he laid his eyes on me. For about 5 minutes, Kanda was trailing his eyes up and down my body slowly as if memorizing every part. The longer he stared at me, the more I started to notice that his cheeks were slowly turning a light pink.

"Um, Kanda," I said. He snapped out of it and let out a fake cough. He then gave me a scowl.

"Will you guys shut up already," Kanda said, "You're making too much noise."

"Sorry," I said sincerely. I walked passed him and went to Komui's office with Lenalee.

"Hey, big brother," she said, "Do either Elizabeth or I have any missions for the rest of the day?"

"No," Komui replied, "Kanda took the last one for now."

We nodded. Lenalee and I decided to take advantage of the moment and we left Head Quarters to that little town that she was talking about. We went to as many stores as we could, and I wasn't the only one who shopped. This seemed like the first day off Lenalee had in a long time and I was happy to spend it with her.

Both of us were carrying at least two bags in each hand. "I'd say this was a good shopping day," I said.

"I couldn't agree more," she replied with a laugh. We then suddenly heard bullets being fired and the screams of innocent people.

"Akuma," we both said at the same time. We left our bags by a fountain on the street. We ran through the town until we found the Akuma. It was a small group of about 8.

"Innocence Activate," Lenalee said as she flew threw the air, destroying Akuma. Like in London, I created the strings that clung to my fingers tightly: my whips. I sliced through two Akuma. One started shooting bullets at me, forcing me to dodge them. I threw the ends of my finger whips at the Akuma and it got tangled in the strings. I then swung it around, causing it to crash into another Akuma. Because both Akuma came in contact with my finger whips, they were both destroyed by the Innocence amplified into them. I turned around to find that Lenalee destroyed her last Akuma.

"At least that was only a small group of 7 Akuma," Lenalee said.

"7?" I asked, "I counted 8…" I then turned around and saw an Akuma behind Lenalee and it aimed it's guns at her.

"Lenalee, look out!" I said. I pushed her out of the way just in time. The bullet missed her, but it hit my arm.

"Elizabeth!" Lenalee cried.

"It's fine," I said as I slowly moved my arm, "the virus doesn't effect me." The black virus didn't get far up my arm. The antibodies inside me quickly attacked the virus, causing it to harden on my skin. I then bent my arm normally and the hard black shell over my skin broke off. Instead of creating my finger whips again, I jumped over the Akuma and placed my hand on top of it. I then sent electric shocks that were powered by my Innocence through my hand onto it's body causing it to explode. I landed on the ground gracefully and turned around to find a shocked Lenalee.

"We should probably get back to Head Quarters," I said. She just nodded. We went back to the fountain, and surprisingly, our stuff was still there.

We made it back to the Black Order and gave Kamui a full report.

"Interesting," Kamui said, "You're abilities in combat are quiet impressive. Expect to be put in many solo missions…"

"Solo missions?" I asked.

"In search for Innocence or to destroy any Akuma that are terrorizing innocent people," Kamui explained.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out but why alone?" I asked.

"To be honest, the further we can spread out our forces, the better," Kamui said, "But that can't happen if Exorcists travel in large groups everywhere." I just nodded in response.

Seeing that it was getting late, I grabbed all my shopping bags and I walked into my room. I put my clothes into the closet. I slipped into a silk nightgown and I crawled into bed. I snuggled into my pillow and covers. I wonder if my sisters made it to France safely. I wonder what my first mission is going to be like and whether or not it's a solo mission…

**Soooo, Elizabeth is part of the Order now. What **_**did**_** happen to Elizabeth's sisters? And will her first mission involve Kanda or not? Only time will tell…Homework for Reader: Review…**

**Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Assisted

It's been a week and I still haven't gone on a mission. Currently I was reading a book of old legends from different parts of the world. My mind was being taken to Roma, Italy.

_One thousand years ago, there lived a beautiful Roman princess named Sandra. When she turned 16 years old, she was the considered the most breathe taking woman in Italy, and was eligible for marriage. There was just one problem; she did not want to get married. But she knew her duties to her father and land, so she instead said that she would not marry just anybody. Men from distant lands came to ask for Sandra's hand in marriage. However, no matter how humble or wonderful the men asked, Sandra refused them. This did not stop eligible suitors from coming to try and win her over. Sandra finally issued a decree. She decided that she would only be the wife of the strongest man in the world. To test their strengths, the men were to duel the family's most loyal guard, Vittorio, who personally protected the family. Many men came and fought. Battles were lost, but not for Vittorio. He fought for the Princess' sake and refused to lose. This continued even after the princess became ill and passed away. Some say that they can still hear sword-fighting coming from the arena that Vittorio once fought in for Sandra, believing that his poor soul is still fighting and suffering. Others believe he isn't suffering but fighting to defend his love for the woman he could never have._

How tragic and sad. I wonder if Vittorio's soul _is_ still trapped in those ruins. I guess I'll really never get the chance to find out any time soon.

"Elizabeth," Allen said as he knocked on my door, "Komui wants to talk to us."

I got off my bed and slipped into my boots. I walked out of my room to find Allen waiting for me at my door with Tim flying above his head.

"Hey, Allen," I greeted with a soft smile.

"H-h-hi," he stuttered as a small blush crept onto his cheeks, "L-like I said b-before, Komui wants to talk to us." We walked down to his office, which, like always, was hidden under piles of paperwork.

"It's good to see you two," he said with a small smile.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" I asked.

"Kanda's missing," he said bluntly.

"_Kanda_ is missing?" Allen asked in disbelief, "Wasn't his last assignment in Rome?"

"That's right," Komui said, "Innocence was discovered in ruins outside of the city and he was sent to collect it. It's been a week now since we've had any contact with either him or the Finder that he took with him."

I let out a small grunt. "What was that?" Komui asked me with a close-eyed smile.

"Nothing, it's just that I'm surprised that you haven't heard anything from the Finder Kanda took with him," I said.

"And why's that?" Komui asked.

"Because it's Kanda we're talking about. The Finder would be calling for help so we could save him from Kanda," I pointed out.

Allen let out a laugh and Komui chuckled. "You haven't known Kanda _that_ long so how could you come up with _that_ conclusion," Komui asked.

"Are you saying that I'm wrong?" I asked.

Komui and Allen paused for a minute. "She has a point…" Allen said.

"Yeah," Komui agreed, "but anyways… Many Akuma have been reported around the arena that supposedly has disappeared. It appears that only exorcists can enter it. I'm thinking of sending you two. Do you guys think you're up for the task? Allen? Elizabeth?"

Allen nodded. "Of course," I said.

"Wonderful," Komui said with a smile. He does that a lot when I'm around.

After talking to Komui about the details, Allen and I went to pack. I just took out the only suitcase I had and put a few clothes, nothing to big. We only planned on fetching him and the trip to get there wouldn't take too long. In fact, the sooner we get this over with, the better.

Allen helped me onto the gondola and then sat across from me. We were about to leave until we were suddenly stopped.

"What are you doing here?" Allen asked Lenalee. Oh, that's not the way to greet somebody that's still mad at you, Allen.

"Would you move over please," she said.

"Oh, sure," Allen said as he moved over. Lenalee then took a seat beside him, not making eye contact.

"Alright then, I think we're ready," Allen said and the guy pushed us off.

In no time we made it to the train station and our train would be here any minute. Lenalee was still avoiding Allen for the most part, but I'm not really sure why.

"Hey Lenalee," I said.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Why are you angry at Allen?" I asked, "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

She sighed. "It's a long story. To sum it up, he tried to do something really dangerous in attempt to destroy an Akuma. I pulled him back so he wouldn't get hurt and he just yelled at me. He was angry because I saved his life," she said. Lenalee started to tremble. Her grip on her bag tightened. "Allen is so selfish; thinking that he needs to take the burden alone. Now I hate that eye of his that can see Akuma. It put his life on the line."

"I'm sorry for making you tell me," I said, "and you can't really blame him. It's true. It _is_ wrong of Allen to be selfish like that and he had no right to yell at you for saving him. But maybe that's just the way he is. Did he spend his life alone? He probably doesn't mean to take the burden all to himself, but I can see that Allen fights Akuma for the sake of others."

Lenalee just nodded sadly. "I know," she whispered, "but so do we." I gave her a sad smile as we waited in the station for the train to come. Allen needs someone to depend on for once, and even someone that will specifically depend on him the way that he wants. When this is all over, I need to find a girlfriend for him.

"You know," Allen said, "I was really thinking we didn't have a chance to talk since you've recovered." Lenalee and I were walking far ahead of him as he carried both his and Lenalee's suitcases. Lenalee was carrying our food for the trip.

She then suddenly stopped. Allen placed down the suitcases on the floor. "About what happened, I'm sorry, Lenalee!" he said as he bowed his head. All the bystanders stopped and stared at the scene he was making.

Lenalee then put the bag of food on his head. "Don't try to get up yet," she said harshly, "I still haven't forgiven you."

"Oh, alright," Allen said kind of awkwardly.

"You're really selfish, Allen. You think that being able to see Akuma souls means that you have to carry the whole burden, and you sacrifice yourself instead of letting other people help," she said, "I wonder what friendship even means to you, because it's insulting that you won't even let me fight beside you. I hate your stupid eye…I hate it." Tears started to roll down Lenalee's eyes. She then let go of the bag, stepped back, and sat on the ground.

Allen took the bag off his head and crouched down to her level. "Lenalee, thank you for saving my life," he said.

"You're welcome, I'm sure it won't be the last time," she said as she ran off onto the train. Everyone let out a small gasp as she got on the train.

"I wonder if that means that she's decided to forgive me," Allen said to Tim.

"What are you waiting for, hurry up and get on!" Lenalee called, "If we don't, the next train to Rome won't be until tomorrow." I laughed.

"I think so," I said as I grabbed the food from Allen's hands. "I hope you don't mind the help," I teased.

"Not at all," Allen said as he grabbed the suitcases. "Coming," he called out to Lenalee. We ran onto the train. I took a seat next to Lenalee who sat in front of Allen. I can't help but be glad that the hostility no longer exists between these two.

I couldn't help but admire the view as we went through Italy.

"A Roman sword fighter who's still alive?" Allen questioned. Right, I should be focusing on the mission.

"See, doesn't it sound like LaLa, that doll that sang for what? Five hundred years," Lenalee said. I turned to her.

"Not quite," I said, "LaLa, of course was a doll and the Innocence she had gave her life. This Roman swordsman probably doesn't even have Innocence in his body or else he would have most definitely died."

"So is it safe to assume that this fighter has…" Allen trailed off.

"We don't know yet," Lenalee said, "I mean we can't even say that it's possible for Innocence to do such a thing in humans. Besides, what Elizabeth said is right. If this swordsman had the Innocence in his body, it's more likely than not that he would have died a _long_ time ago."

"No offence, Allen," I added.

He just let out a short laugh. "None taken," he said with a smile. He's such a kid sometimes. "But it could also mean that he's an accommodator using the Innocence," he added.

"Yeah, maybe," Lenalee said, "Let's put it this way, if we discover that this swordsman really exists, we'll have a pretty big mystery on our hands."

"Maybe not," I said. Both of them abruptly looked at me and I suddenly became self-conscious about what I was about to say. "I mean, this is only my thinking aloud. But, let's say he is an accommodator and he does exist, I wouldn't say that he's using the Innocence but the other way around. Maybe the Innocence became too much for him to handle and it took over his body to the point where it made him immortal. But it's only a theory."

Lenalee and Allen looked at each other then at me carefully. "We don't know yet so let's wait and see," Lenalee said as she place a hand on my shoulder.

I spent the rest of the trip staring out the window and enjoying the peaceful view and listening to Lenalee and Allen's thoughts on the mission. So, Komui basically sent Kanda to Rome to see if the swordsman was using Innocence considering the mysterious Akuma sitings and disappearances in that general area.

Once we stopped, we went into town. The streets were full of what seemed like bounty hunters. And they were causing quite the seen.

"Who are they? Do they think they're soldiers?" Allen asked.

"They sure are acting like they're trying to start a war," Lenalee said.

"They only care for themselves so it's no surprise," I said.

We then turned to see some bounty hunters getting into an argument with some security guards or something.

"If they're so big on fighting I wish they'd do us all a favor and kill each other," a voice said.

We turned around to find a tall bounty hunter with an eye patch. "This is a gathering of bounty hunters," he said, "We're all here because the Sardini family sent out a call to anyone who could help them find their missing daughter."

"Wait, bounty hunters?" Allen questioned.

"A local girl is missing?" Lenalee asked.

"You mean you haven't heard?" he asked.

"Well no, we just arrived to this town today," I said.

"It's all over," he explained, "The Sardini's 16-year-old daughter, Claudia, was abducted from their residence about 3 days ago. The man who took her identified himself as Vittorio."

"Vittorio?" Lenalee asked.

"Like the old tale," I said.

"The sword fighter that's been living for a thousand years!" Allen exclaimed as realization slowly hit all of us.

A messenger suddenly came down the road and through the crowd. "Your attention please!" he said, "Make your way to the Sardini residence! The Viscount Poleti will give his instructions to those who wish to collect a sizable reward!"

"Who do you think Poleti could be?" Allen asked.

"Good question but more importantly, who could he be to Claudia Sardini?" I remarked.

All the bounty hunters went down the street to the Sardini residence and we followed promptly. Soon enough nighttime fell upon Italy and we were all tucked into the courtyard of the Sardini residence where food and leisure was being given out to all the bounty hunters or any significant others that were there.

"Come on Allen," Lenalee said slightly annoyed, "I can't believe you. We didn't come here for a picnic."

"This isn't a picnic, it's just a little snack," Allen defended. I laughed.

"Don't you know this guy already, Lenalee?" I asked and she smiled.

Then one of the servants offered Lenalee food, but she kindly declined. Then she turned to me.

"How about you? You could use some meat on those bones," she said as she handed me the food. I tried to protest but she already walked away. I stared down at the food. It feels weird having other people cook for me. I used to have to do that for myself and my sisters. And although Jeryy cooks great, I can't help but feel guilty considering how much he has to work and cook for everyone, especially Allen…

"Elizabeth you too?" Lenalee accused.

"No," I defended, "She just gave me the food and walked away. Hey, Allen, would you like seconds?"

"Of course!" he said already taking my food from my hands. I rolled my eyes at him.

We then heard somebody clap from inside the mansion. We turned to see the Viscount and Claudia's father coming out of the mansion.

"Brave searchers, pardon me for interrupting your meal, but I'd like your attention please," the Viscount said, "I'm sure you are already aware that Claudia Sardini, the daughter of the Sardini family, has been abducted by a thug who calls himself Vittorio. Her father who stands besides me is obviously heart broken. As an heir of the honored Poleti family, I hereby promise on our family's name, the person who finds Claudia, my dear fiancé, and rescues her from the detestable thief will be given one tenth of the Sardini family fortune."

"You guys are right," I said, "Do you think that plays a part in Claudia's kidnapping?" Allen and Lenalee, whom were talking about how strange it is for Claudia to be marrying somebody who was so much older than her, nodded in agreement. We looked over at Claudia's father to see that he isn't very happy about the Viscount's proposal in the sudden increase in reward payment. It definitely got the crowd more interested in finding his daughter, though.

"We should do some investigating before it gets too late," I said.

"How?" Allen asked, "It's getting too late to go check out the old arena."

"I meant about Claudia," I said.

"But she's not really a priority for us," Lenalee said.

"I know," I replied, "But Vittorio has somehow weaved himself into this family's life. Maybe Mr. Sardini can give us some information on Claudia's possible communication with Vittorio before she went missing. Maybe she told him something about Vittorio that can help us."

After the crowd managed to settle down. The three of us quietly walked into the mansion so nobody would notice us. We looked through a window to see Claudia's father in a room, grumbling about how she got herself in this mess. Allen then sent Timcampy through the window first and we followed.

"Don't be alarmed," Allen said as Tim flew around Claudia's father and came back to us, "He's not going to hurt you."

"Excuse us for barging in this way," Lenalee said.

"We're not a threat to you, Mr. Sardini," Allen said.

"We're with the Black Order," I said.

"What? Is that so?" he said, now focused, "Well then, have a seat."

Allen and I shared a chair. He blushed when I took a seat next to him. I didn't mind, I was so thin that I didn't even feel squished. Since the bounty hunters were making so much noise in the courtyard, Lenalee went and closed the window before coming to stand behind the seat Allen and I were sharing.

"It began about a month ago," Mr. Sardini started, "My daughter said that a medival looking swordsman appeared to her in her bedroom. It all sounded so ludicrous I decided Claudia must have been dreaming. But then she-she simply wouldn't stop talking about this man and his reports to her at night or some such thing."

"His reports?" Allen questioned.

"I admit, I lost my temper," Mr. Sardini said, "I told her to stop spouting such nonsense. But she swore up and down that she was telling the truth. And then, three days ago, on the very day that her engagement with Viscount Poleti would be finalized…" Mr. Sardini sighed. "What could that girl possibly be thinking," he said more to himself then us.

We then turned as we heard the door open behind us. It was the Viscount.

"My thoughts exactly," he said, "What could be going through dear Claudia's head right now?"

"Oh, Viscount," Mr. Sardini said, "I was just recounting some of the details."

"Hm, once we are married," the Viscount explained, "the Sardini Family, born of merchants and tradesmen, will become relations of nobility, and will finally realize their dream of being fully embraced by upper class society. When Claudia submits to our wishes-"

"Son-in-law, I still object to the way you're handling this," Mr. Sardini interrupted, "Claudia ran away from home, it's that simple. That or she was somehow tricked into leaving by this fool calling himself Vittorio. Gathering these hunters and offering a reward was unnecessary. The local police could have taken care of-"

"I hope you aren't worried sir," the Viscount said cutting in, "The last thing I want to do is waste hard earned money. And speaking of money, isn't it true that those who are as fortunate such as lottery winners or often those who seem to have no luck. You're very successful. I'm sure you've experienced ill will from those who must struggle more in life."

How typical. It's no wonder Claudia left. All her father and fiancé seemed to care about was money. She probably didn't even want to marry the Viscount! But to her father, it meant being part of the upper class society so there was really no way for her to get out of the position she was forced do be in. Running away with this mysterious swordsman seemed like the only solution to her problem without directly breaking her father's heart. I couldn't help but glare at the two selfish men along with Allen and, most likely, Lenalee.

"And who are these young people who seem to enjoy glaring at us so?" he asked.

"Oh, they claim affiliation with the Black Order," Mr. Sardini explained.

"Did you request for them to come?" the Viscount asked.

"No, of course not," he replied. It's not like we were sent here to come and look for his daughter anyways.

"Very well then," the Viscount said, "If patrons of the illustrious Black Order are willing to step in and lend us a hand, perhaps the bounty hunters are not needed. Please-"

"You won't have our help!" Allen said standing up.

"Yeah! What do take us for?!" I said with slight anger.

"If you sincerely want Claudia to come back, what's stopping you from looking for her yourselves?!" Allen yelled angrily, "All I've heard here is money, status, fortune, what do the two of you value more, this girl or the things you possess?! Having a parent like you, and a fiancé like the Viscount, would drive anyone away."

"Allen, Elizabeth, we should go," Lenalee said as she grabbed both of our hands and led us out of the room.

Allen still seemed a bit mad. I gently wrapped my arms around his arm in a small hug as we walked through the house.

"It's okay, Allen" I said. He let out a sigh. "At the moment, those jerks don't matter. We just have to find Kanda and the finder and leave, that's all. No stress." I gave him a smile, which he forced himself to return. I rested my head on his shoulder and I felt him relax slightly. He let out another sigh.

"I guess you're right," he said. I let go once we left the mansion. We started walking up a large hill and went to look for a place to sleep for the night.

Lenalee suddenly let out a giggle.

"What?" Allen asked.

"It's nothing," Lenalee said.

"I can't believe after all that we still haven't discovered anything about Kanda," Allen said, "and we still don't know that much about Vittorio, either."

"I know," Lenalee said.

"Not true," I said, "We at least know he exists if people in this town are raving about the mysterious swordsman and Claudia's disappearance."

"I guess you're right," Lenalee said, "But we won't really know for sure until we find out more information."

Soon we found a small inn for us to stay in. The room we got was small and had three beds in it. Lenalee put a white sheet on a line to separate the room in two and so us girls would get some privacy from Allen. He's not the type of guy who would peek or anything but still, it wouldn't be comfortable for any of us.

After each of us took quick showers and put on clean clothes, we all slipped into bed. I left my coat on a chair by the window along with Lenalee. My shoes were next to my bed. I yawned as I slowly drifted to sleep. The last thing I heard was Lenalee and Allen having a conversation about the whole Vittorio situation.

"Good night, Elizabeth," I heard Lenalee say.

"Good night," I mumbled before drifting into a dreamless sleep.

I was the first to wake up the next morning. We needed to check out the old arena that all the hunters were going to. If Vittorio has been seen there, that means Kanda had to have been there at some point in time.

I shuck Lenalee awake and gave her some time to get ready. While she was doing that, I tip-toed to Allen's side of the room. Instead of shaking him awake, I jumped on him.

"Elizabeth," he groaned. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on," I said, "We have to go investigate that ancient arena before it gets completely filled up with stupid hunters!"

I got off him and let him wake up fully. He started to completely button up his shirt and then his vest. I took his tie and quickly tied it up for him, which caused him to blush.

"You don't have to do this," he said.

"Well get used to it," I said, "You're like a little brother to me, Allen."

The comment seemed to deepen his blush. "Does that make you my big sister?" he asked.

"Of course," I said as I gave him a smile. Instead of blushing like I thought he would, Allen just returned my smile with one of his bright smiles. I couldn't help but feel happy that I made him smile genially. I've never seen him smile that way.

"And once I find my younger sisters, they'll be your sisters too," I said, which made him laugh.

After Allen finished getting ready, we left the inn and went to the ancient arena, where we found a long line of hunters, ready to go in and search for Claudia.

As we ran towards the arena, we saw a flock of Akuma closing in on it.

"Oh no," Allen said, "we have to hurry."

We slid down a steep area outside the arena and ran in as fast as we could. The Akuma started to fire at the hunters causing chaos.

I felt the Innocence in my soul surge through my entire body. I felt the body build up and I jumped, the power of the Innocence inside me lifting my body in the air. I pushed myself off the edge of one of the walls in the arena and I landed on an Akuma. I sent electric shocks through its body. Before it could explode, I used the Akuma's body to jump off it and onto another one, which met the same fate.

I turned towards Allen and Lenalee. I saw Allen killing Akuma with his anti-Akuma weapon while Lenalee directed everyone out of the arena. I then summoned my whips. I felt the metal threads wrap themselves around my fingers. I then sliced through the Akuma around me as the one that I was on tried to shake me off. I then jumped off it and sliced it with my whips. I gracefully landed on the ground.

All of a sudden, more hunters started coming in and they brought a machine gun to shoot at the Akuma. Like that'll work. Then an Akuma was sliced in half. Was that Kanda?

I turned towards where the Akuma was attacked and saw a man dressed like an ancient Roman guard with curly, burgundy hair. Vittorio.

Then the hunters started to shoot at Vittorio! He seemed to block the attack with his sword and he must have used Innocence to push it back. Since I was on the ground level of the arena, the explosion that the Innocence cased pushed me back and I smacked against a pillar in the arena near Allen. Once the smoke cleared up, there were huge holes and craters on the ground all around him.

I got up with a groan and slowly walked to the edge of the level of the arena I was on. I saw Allen then get up from where he was, like he was about to go fight Vittorio.

"No, you're not strong enough." I turned to the familiar voice to find Kanda. There. We found him. Can we go home now?

"Kanda," I said. It was more to myself than anything else. He gave me a quick glance before turning back to Allen.

"Kanda," Allen said with a surprised tone in his voice.

"This fighter is my prey," he said, "_Don't_ interfere."

Oh, that makes more sense. Kanda wouldn't really care about Allen's safety; he just wants to fight Vittorio all by himself. I don't think so.

I slid down to the ground level of the arena. _I_ might as well take a crack at it.

Kanda then jumped down from where he was and landed right in front of Vittorio; ultimately beating me to it. Ugh.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said.

"I will fight you," Vittorio said.

"Lenalee!" I looked up to see the Finder run to Lenalee and Allen.

"Elizabeth!" Kanda said, "Stop being an idiot and go with Lenalee, Short stack, and the Finder."

Gee, thanks Kanda. I just sighed in hopes to control my anger and actually listened to him this time.

"-Vittorio's got Innocence," is what I heard once I arrived. We all turned to see both swordsmen in battle. "It's in the sword," the Finder said, "That's the source of what's kept the swordsman alive for a thousand years."

"It's true then," I whispered to myself.

"What?" Allen asked.

"Nothing," I said.

"Those two fought for two days straight," the Finder said, "But then Akuma began to appear, and the situation became very chaotic. Then Vittorio disappeared. Kanda went to sleep for the next two days, the fight was exhausting, to regain his strength."

"Why are they fighting without Innocence," I asked.

"I believe that it's a battle of pride and honor," the Finder replied.

"Without my anti-Akuma weapon, I'm useless in battle," Allen said, "I think that's the reason why Kanda didn't want me to help him in his battle against Vittorio."

Kanda told me to leave, too. So, does that mean he thinks I'm useless in battle without my anti-Akuma weapon? …He's so mean…and judgmental.

We continued to watch the two of them fight. Sword against sword; metal against metal. They both prove to have high skills in the art of sword fighting. When one attacked, the other blocked and vise versa.

Then, one of them finally broke. Kanda received a cut on the cheek, while Vittorio was severely struck and blood gushed out of him. Unfortunately for us, the Innocence in his sword somehow was able to heal his entire body and make it seem as if the swordsman was never hit by Kanda.

We were all surprised, but it wasn't in Kanda's favor to let his guard down. Vittorio then hit Kanda in the torso with his sword, causing a deep wound.

"Oh no!" Lenalee said.

"Kanda!" Allen and I said in unison. A pool of blood surrounded him. Allen jumped down as I ran down to help him. He may be a huge jerk, but there's no way I can stand to see him hurt!

"Kanda!"


End file.
